Every picture tells a story and now I am thinking about the terrible story which is represented in ¨The third of May 1808¨painted by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes between 1814 and 1815. On the second of May 1808, the people of Madrid attacked a group of the mounted Egyptian soldiers (mamelukes) of the French Army. The participants and the witnesses of the attack were punished by arrests and executions continuing throughout the night and the following morning of 3 May. The reality is that hundred of Spaniards were rounded up and shot.
The subject is a scene where French soldiers execute Spanish patriots at Príncipe Pío hill in Madrid. It is recognizable because of the palace on the right-hand side.
There are two diagonal lines: the individualized patriots and the soldiers. The French soldiers are identical, with the same uniforms, swords, hats. They are an inhuman group of men. The central figure, a man with his arms outstretched, reflects the desperation and the terror of the situation which is evident on his face. The brightness of this figure highlights the tragic moment.
This painting is not so much a protest against the French Imperialism. It is a cry against the inhuman brutality in all wars.
